The latest is TelevisionWeek, which in their June 12, 2006 issue presented an article entitled "Immigration Tough Topic for Hispanic Reporters to Cover."
The article is, obviously enough, about how it's difficult for Hispanic reporters to cover immigration issues without being judged to lean one way or another, but unless they're blinded by their own world view, it's hard to believe an editor could have read the following two paragraphs, presented one after another, without making the obvious comment (emphasis in the quote is mine):
"When you're covering immigration, you have to prove yourself, that you're being balanced on the issue," said veteran Univision news anchor Maria Elena Salinas. "You're being scrutinized because you're Hispanic. It's bittersweet. On the one hand it's great that the Hispanic community has woken up and is reacting and fighting in a peaceful manner for their rights as human beings. But the backlash is so horrendous, and I think it's a major setback. There's so much focus on the southern border that it's become a racial thing."
Verónica Villafañe, president of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists, agrees with Ms. Salinas' assessment. "Anecdotally, some reporters have been accused of leaning one way or another," she said.
Excuse me? When the right to illegally immigrate to the United States is considered a right as a human being, I think the reporter is pretty clearly leaning one way or another. Did the editors at TelevisionWeek read this? Are they actually so unaware of their own biases that the juxtaposition of these two quotes didn't cause them to do a classic "spit take" while reading it?
Must just be me…
